Open Mic Poetry Reading 21NOV09

Last night I attended an open mic poetry event sponsored by Troubadour 21 Magazine at The Beat Cafe in Warren Michigan. It was really crowed with about 50 people there.






Many came to see the featured poet Whitney Syphax Walker and she did a great job, brought down the house.










I read three of my poems early in the event including one from my forthcoming book Mice Verses Man.







It was fun seeing and listen to all my poetry buddies. You all did great work up there on stage.










William B. Burkholder - The MC of the event and also a staff memebr at Troubadour 21













Valencia 'Numi' Vanner













Dimonique Boyd













Crystal Reign Brock













Karma Sweetmain Williams - Co owner of The Sweet Epiphany in Detroit














Carla Dodd - The Troubadour 21 Poetry Editor













Candace Deekah Wyatt jammed a couple tunes for our listening pleasure















New friend Megan Collins who came in from Erie PA. She owns The Last Wordsmith Book Shoppe in Erie














and another new friend Dawn Shepler Shimp who came up from Ohio








I also had some great conversations with local Detroit poet Mark Durfee and I bought his latest book Stink - Poetry And Prose Of Detroit. Thanks Mark!

Thanks to Troubadour 21 for sponsoring the event and to The BEat Cafe for providing the venue.

Smiles!

Test Flight

Opening The Door


It was a tough delivery,
he was almost lost.
That first day,
he grips my thumb,
his hand no bigger
than a newborn bird.
I always let him
steady himself
during his flights.

His is different
from the others.
The other children
sometimes tease him
because his hands shake,
his nerves un-feathered.
As he grows, he learns
to master the use
of each hand
with equal strength.

Our hands are the same
size now. His hands
still shake a little,
if you watch very closely.
Someday, his hands
will stop shaking
and mine will begin to;
I know he will be there
to steady me.

Good news - My first book ms accepted by Big Table Publishing

Yay, now that I have signed on the dotted line and it is official, I would like announce that by year's end 2009, my first collection of poetry Mice Verses Man is to be published by Big Table Publishing Company Chapbook Series. BT Publishing is based in Massachusetts near Boston.

Eventually, it will be available at this link from the publisher or you can contact me directly at
RJay61 at comcast dot net
if you would like a signed copy.

Thanks a lot to the owner and Editor In Chief Robin Stratton for the acceptance and for being such a patient and knowledgable person to work with. The project is moving fast and it won't be long until it drops. It's going to be a 40 plus page chapbook, sort of a chap on steroids I guess, and it contains a lot of my best work including many previously unpublished pieces.

By the way, next door, I have started a new blog titled Mice Verses Man to help promote the book, print reviews, list readings or signings I will be doing in the future. Maybe I will see you here, or there, or there...thanks!!

On the cover of OCHO 27

Thanks again Didi for including my portrait on the cover and my poem "Obscure" on page 20/21.

Smiles!

Poetry here and there

Having fun writing, doing open mic readings, and submitting these days. Some successes, including acceptances at

The Smoking Poet, one in Zinta Aistars magazine, Winter 09 issue forthcoming. Thanks Zinta, you and your magazine rock!

I will have a poem in Hanging Moss Journal forthcoming soon. This is Steve Meador's great lit mag, Buy his books btw, all three are Good Reads!! you will not be disappointed.

Got one accepted for the forthcoming issue of Boston Literary Magazine. Great mag and my second time sharing there (Summer 2008 also). Robin Stratton and her staff do wonderful work there. THANKS!

One poem will be in Didi Menendez's OCHO 27 forthcoming soon, thanks Didi

Two poems accepted and published at Troubadour21, a Detroit local magazine just starting out but making a name around town. Great people. I met Carla, Carl, Karma, Bill, and Paquita at open mic readings recently. See you all again soon. Thanks!

Recently I had three poems that were published in the latest issue of Leaf Garden. a superb magazine, thanks so much!! See the link to their free PDF on the right hand side of this page or go there and buy a hard copy.

All this was balanced by 9 sets of rejections including my fifth from Beloit Poetry Journal, oh well, someday. :) The editor wrote me a note a said he loved reading my poem (not enough to publish it I guess but hey...lol)

Big news on the horizon.... shhh, it's a secret. (for now)
Smiles!!